Conventionally, in various stores such as a supermarket and a drug store, checkout counters are set in checkout processing areas. Each of the checkout counters includes a barcode reader for reading commodity codes attached to commodities, which are stored in a shopping basket and carried to the checkout processing area, in a form of a barcode. The barcode reader transmits the read commodity codes to a POS terminal set near the checkout counter. The POS terminal performs checkout processing on the basis of the received commodity codes. In such commodity sales, in general, a customer places a shopping basket, which stores commodities, on one side of the barcode reader on the checkout counter. A store clerk takes out the commodities from the shopping basket, reads commodity codes of the commodities with the barcode reader, and stores the commodities after the reading of the commodity codes in an empty shopping basket placed on the other side of the barcode reader. The checkout counter is formed large to some extent in order to carry out work in such a work procedure.
The large checkout counter is not suitable for setting in a small store such as a drug store. In the first place, the small store may not have a space for setting the large checkout counter. Even if the large checkout counter can be set, the large checkout counter may improperly occupy a store space or cause customers to feel a strong sense of oppression. Therefore, mainly taking into account the use in such a small store, a checkout counter in which a basket placing table for setting a shopping basket, which stores commodities, is provided on a side of a counter base formed in a small size is developed and put to practical use. For example, JP-A-2005-209089 discloses a checkout counter in which a basket placing table is arranged on a side of a counter base on which a barcode reader is set. The checkout counter can slide and draw the basket placing table to below a top plate of the counter base and open a setting space for the basket placing table.
A store often includes shopping carts in addition to shopping baskets. A shopping cart is extremely convenient for a customer to carry, when the customer purchases many commodities that the shopping basket cannot store, the commodities from a selling floor to the checkout counter. However, when the customer uses the shopping cart, the customer has to move a shopping basket from the shopping cart to the counter. This work is unexpectedly heavy because the customer has to vertically lift the shopping basket filled with commodities from the shopping cart. Therefore, the work for moving the shopping basket from the shopping cart to the counter imposes an excessive burden on, in particular, a customer with little power like an aged person.
On the other hand, in the checkout counter disclosed in JP-A-2005-209089, if the basket placing table is drawn to below the top plate of the counter base, the customer can stop the shopping cart along the side of the counter base. This allows the customer to omit the work for moving the shopping basket from the shopping cart to the counter. However, when commodities are carried to the checkout counter, the shopping basket is directly carried to the checkout counter in some case and is carried to the checkout counter by the shopping cart in other cases. Therefore, the store clerk has to expose the basket placing table when the shopping basket is directly carried to the checkout counter and draw the basket placing table to below the top plate when the shopping basket is carried by the shopping cart. The work is extremely troublesome and the store clerk cannot withstand the troublesomeness.